☕ Night Shift 🍰
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy, Fluff Rating: PG-13 Warnings: mentions of blood, Taehyung surprising the snot out of you Pairing: Taehyung x reader Notes: vampire!taehyung AU. Single quote marks ‘ ‘ are for thoughts and double “ “ are for talking. Additional Notes: Requested by the lovely @temptaestions hope you enjoy it, dear! ^u^
Summary: Life with a vampire boyfriend was interesting. But you wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Life with a vampire was interesting. Still is.
Not all of the cheesy myths are true, though. The only way they sparkle is if you dump a jar full of glitter on them. They can eat normal foods that mortals eat but it tastes quite bland to them; often even tasteless. Vampires can walk in the sunlight but it makes them incredibly tired. In fact, if a night crawler were to be exposed out in the direct sunlight for too long, they could risk passing out or going on a hunger killing spree.
How do you know all of this? Well........funny story......
Your boyfriend is a vampire. Has been for several years, even before you met him. You’ll never forget how you found out. It was actually quite early on when you two first met. It was a Sunday morning and you had to be up super early for an event you were catering for. Your boyfriend, who at the time was just a friend, offered to help you. He claimed to be great with desserts.
Well......That was fine and all.......till you answered your apartment door only to discover that you friend.......had red eyes.
Now----Most people would say ‘Oh those are just the cool colored contacts that the kids are into these days.’ But there was something awfully.......authentic about these contacts. When you had made a comment about his cool looking lenses, you watched his face freeze up and his eyes go wide. That right there was enough to tell you they weren’t contacts. So if they weren’t fake red eyes......then that could mean only one thing.
So the two of you sat down and he explained that he had been in such a hurry to come over and help you, that he had forgotten to put in his brown colored lenses. That’s when you found out he was a vampire. That’s when everything changed. Finally, all the odd quirks he had made total and complete sense. His peculiar habits were no longer considered strange.
The two of you started to hang out more and as you did so, you began to learn things about him that the rest of the world was not to know. Due to your day job, you could really only spend the evenings with him which worked out great.....till you’d come home exhausted and end up falling asleep on him while he was wide awake. Even on your days off, it was rough because the sunlight made him sleepy. It was like the universe was trying to keep the two of you apart. Till one day, Taehyung made a suggestion.
“What if we worked the night shift somewhere?”
You looked up from your phone as the two of you sat there on the couch in your apartment. Actually.....he had been staying the night an awful lot. Not that you minded. He was a good friend and never tried to pull anything while you were sleeping or resting. In fact, he was quite doting of you. Always pampering you once you got home from your intensive catering job; claiming that they didn’t pay you enough for all the bull crap you endured.
In fact, while you were out working during the day, he’d stay in your apartment and do house chores. Since he wasn’t in direct sunlight, the daytime hours didn’t effect him nearly as bad. He’d have to take naps in between chores but honestly you were just touched he even wanted to make the effort. It was extremely sweet of him.
“Night shift?”
Taehyung lit up with a bright boxy smile, fangs and all, as he nodded his shaggy head eagerly and explained,
“Yeah! We could work together and that way we can rest together during the day. We’d get to see more of each other even though we’re working. It’s better than nothing.”
On one hand, he had a point. It would be nice to spend more time with him rather than him watching you sleep off a hard day’s work just to wake up the next morning and do it all over again. But then you wondered how would your life look if you worked night time hours? Would this pan out? Could you make it happen? Your pale friend spoke up once more as he said,
“There’s a 24 hour food place in town that’s looking for night workers. I could work in the kitchens and you could bus tables. It’d be great!”
You sat there and thought about it. In fact, there was quite a bit to think about. Being an adult was tough sometimes. You had to look at everything from all angles, evaluate all the pros and cons of the situation. You couldn’t just dive into something for fear of the consequences.
Pay. The pay had to be at least what you were making now. You had always heard that waiters and waitresses made most of their money from tips. So perhaps you’d end up making more than what you were being paid now. And since you catered, you already had the experience of waiting on people. Perhaps this could work...... And so with a warm smile, you set your phone down and said,
“Yeah. Let’s do it. Let’s go apply.”
“Sweet! Let’s go! Before someone else snags them instead.”
“Yah, Tae! Don’t forget your contact lenses!”
It was a bit of a mess at first, but the two of you finally got ready and looked presentable and headed out in search of this dream team job of yours. The man who had become your best friend was dressed nicely and kept his true nature hidden very well. You wondered if he’d be able to handle all the heart beats in such a small area for so long. But he had made an excellent point when you brought it up.
“It’s the night shift, cutie. There won’t be hardly anyone there. Especially when there are so many other food places to choose from. It’ll be fine. This will work out. You’ll see.”
“We have to actually get the jobs first, TaeTae. How can you be so certain they’ll even pick us?”
But all you got in response was a sly smile. Your best guess was that your friend had something up his sleeve. Perhaps he was going to use his good looks and charming smile to get you guys in? Then again.....Taehyung really did have a nice smile and he really was good looking. You blushed and felt your heart do a small flip at the thought. If Tae had heard, he never commented. Which you were grateful for.
The place he was talking about was not quite walking distance but it wasn’t far of a drive either. In fact, you’d already be saving money in gas expense with how long it took the two of you to drive there. Thankfully the sun was setting and Taehyung didn’t have to wear a hat or anything. But you did catch him rubbing at one of his eyes. He had mentioned that the contacts sometimes made his eyes itch. You felt really bad about that. Poor guy. He did so much for you.
Upon arriving after finding a decent parking spot on the street, you immediately liked the outside of the place. It screamed cozy and smelled of comfort food; even from outside. Smiling brighter than you realized and suddenly feeling a lot more confident about this whole thing, you found yourself naturally taking Taehyung’s hand in yours and walking through the doors.
If Taehyung wasn’t a vampire, he would have blushed.
Gosh the place was even cozy on the inside too! You could already see yourself working here and being happy. After all, you wanted the simple life. A nice job that paid your bills while still being able to live within your means. That’s all you wanted. The catering job you had right now......well......Life was anything but simple when you had to work for that company.
“Good evening. Just two?”
So engrossed in your thoughts of your current crappy job, you almost didn’t catch what the young woman in front of you had said. She was petite and really pretty. Perfectly sculpted eyebrows and a perfect set of lips. Granted, you weren’t the most prettiest girl out there but man this one made you feel like the ugly duckling. But she seemed really nice.
“Uhh......”
“Actually, we’d like to apply for the two night shift openings you have here.”
Thank god for Kim Taehyung. Seriously. There you were standing there like a bump on a log and he yet again came to your rescue. As the young woman smiled and excused herself to go get the applications for employment, you immediately ducked your head and felt the heat radiating off your cheeks. Feeling incredibly embarrassed, you mumbled,
“Thanks, Tae. You’re always saving my butt. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Before the moment could get too deep, the young woman came back and politely explained a few things while handing the both of you an application. She explained that they had a few other applicants already but that there was still plenty of time to put your hats into the ring. It was then that your vampire friend spoke up and said sweetly,
“We’ll be right back. We’re just going to step outside to fill these out real quick.”
“Oh you don’t have to do that. You guys can sit right over there and fill them out if you’d like. It’s pretty slow right now so there’s plenty of tables. Please. Have a seat and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a shout.”
Despite being really pretty, you could tell this girl was genuinely nice. Perhaps even humble and down to earth. Smiling and feeling much better now that your blush had died down, you both took a pen and sat at the table. This was really happening. You were taking your first big step into living a better life. But that was of course under the impression you got picked. What if you didn’t even get an interview???
“Cutie. Relax. Your heart sounds like it’s going to pound right out of your chest.”
“Aish. Sorry, Tae. I’m just really nervous. What if we don’t get picked? Or what if you get picked but I don’t?”
Your pout faced off with his sly smile as he gently shook his head and said in a soft whisper,
“I told you, don’t worry about that. I’ve got this. We’ve got this. We’re a package deal, okay?”
Gosh this man was going to be the end of you. How could one person be so incredibly sweet? Furthermore, how did you wind up so lucky to have him in your life? It was beyond you but the gratefulness was still there.
With renewed confidence, the both of you sat there and filled out your applications. You stated in yours that you were applying for the waiter/waitress position while Taehyung noted down that he was applying for the kitchen. It felt great to put down that you had experience seeing as how you worked for a catering company. Taehyung, having lived for so many years, was great in the culinary arts.
“Here they are, miss. If you could, could you just take a look over them to make sure we filled everything out correctly? We’d really appreciate it.”
The moment the vampire’s skin touched the female’s it was like things got....weird. You watched the young woman look over the applications as if she were in a trance of some kind. Your eyebrows furrowed and you itched to look over at your pale friend but resisted. Something was up. After taking a few extra minutes to look over the paperwork, the young woman cleared her throat and said lightly,
“Wow. You guys are definitely qualified. I’ll make sure you both get an interview.”
Wait what???
“Thank you, miss. That means a lot to us. We’ll be eagerly awaiting your phone call.”
Just like that, you were half way there. Your mind was blown as you faintly felt Taehyung helping escort you out of the restaurant and across the street to where your car was parked. Numbly, you unlocked the vehicle and the two of you climbed inside to buckle up. Sitting there still staring off into space, you mumbled,
“What just happened?”
“We’re one step closer to getting you a better job and spending more time with each other. That’s what just happened.”
You looked over to see the pale man smiling his signature boxy smile while wiggling his eyebrows in a cheesy, greasy fashion. It was enough to snap you out of your stunned stupor and you instantly started to giggle. Blushing lightly and playfully swatting at him, you said in amusement,
“You’re terrible. What did you do? Bewitch her or something?”
“Maybe? Does it really matter?”
Silence filled the car as the two of you had a small stare down. It was odd seeing him with the brown contacts in. In all actuality, you preferred his red eyes. His natural ruby red orbs. Just as you were about to start the car, he said suddenly but softly,
“I’d do anything for you.”
Within two days, you both got the call giving you a date and time for your interviews. Even though the young woman had claimed she’d make sure you guys got that far, you never actually believed her. You’d never forget squealing and jumping all around your apartment while Tae just laughed and watched you from the couch. Seeing you happy was all he really wanted. If he could have just one wish, it was to see you happy.
But that happiness......was short lived.
It was three days later and you came home bawling your eyes out. Taehyung had just went to bed after seeing you off for work that morning. He had a few chores around the apartment that he’d do for you later when the sun would start to go down but first he’d nap since the sun was pretty intense today. However, he had only just gotten comfortable in the spare bedroom that was practically his now, when he heard the door slam open.
With his vampire traits kicking into high gear, he was down the hallway and back out into the living room in the blink of an eye. The sight broke his heart despite it having not functioned for hundreds of years. Frowning deeply, he helped you out of your shoes and gently walked you to the couch where he sat you down. A gentle hand rubbed at your back as he waited for you to tell him what happened.
“Fired???”
“Yes, Tae. They fired me. They had this planned all along. I walked in and they handed me this paycheck and told me I was free to go.”
On one hand, the vampire was overjoyed to see you get out of that hell hole of a catering company. For as long as he had known you, which was going on two years now, they had never once treated you the way you deserved. You worked so hard and was so underappreciated. However, seeing you this upset killed him. It felt like a knife was twisting his insides all to hell and back.
Needless to say, the two of you spent the day in bed. Taehyung had convinced you that this waitress job was as good as yours and so now would be the perfect opportunity to start getting your sleeping schedule in order. Sleep and rest during the day so that you could be awake and functioning at night. It was hard to fall asleep at first, the whole reality of being unemployed still shaking you to the core, but with Taehyung’s help you were able to sleep like a baby.
It was the night before the interviews and the two of you were just sitting and chilling watching some cheesy kdrama. You were munching on popcorn while Tae was sipping on a tumbler full of blood. At first, you thought living with a vampire would be tough. In all actuality, it wasn’t that different from having any other kind of roommate. Taehyung was super clean, respectful, and he was your best friend. You couldn’t have asked for a better roommate.
But sometimes.......your curious nature got the better of you.
“TaeTae......Have you ever wanted to taste my blood?”
When all you heard was a muffled noise, you looked over to see the male in the middle of a sip from his cup to which he was scrambling not to spit out. You certainly caught him by surprise and while the thought of having blood spat all over your living room should have grossed you out, it actually amused you more than anything. The look on his face was quite comical.
“Well I um......Well.....I mean....Um.....I mean yeah of course I have.”
But he quickly added after safely setting the tumbler down on the coffee table and turning to face you, his expression completely sincere despite speaking a bit frantically,
“But I would never do that. You’re my best friend, not a walking blood bag. I see you as a person and not as food. I would never use you like that. That’s why I’ve never brought up the topic of blood donors.”
The nanosecond the term ‘blood donor’ left his mouth, Taehyung could have cursed himself ten times over. Way to go, blockhead. Mentally cursing himself, he watched your face as it twisted and turned into an expression of further curiosity. With raised eyebrows, you naturally asked in all innocence,
“What’s a blood donor?”
“It’s noting, cutie. Forget I said anything.”
“But Taaaaaeeee. We tell each other everything! Please! Please please please please please please please please please please pl----”
“Aish! Okay! Okay!”
Your giggles were muffled as he had slapped a hand over your mouth to silence your persistent pleading. He could never deny you no matter how strong of a night crawler he was. You were his number one weakness. He could take on armies of thugs and murder a whole city over night. But when it came to you, he was weak and at your mercy.
That was how you learned what a blood donor was. It was a contractual agreement between the vampire and a willing party. The contract was completely consensual and honestly made perfect sense. While the donor would offer their blood, the vampire would take care of his or her donor almost like a pet. Providing them with shelter, food, water, all of those basic needs. The two would live in perfect harmony.
“Tae.......Why haven’t you ever said anything? I can totally be your donor.”
“No. Absolutely not. This is why I never told you about it in the first place. You deserve to live a normal life. Not a life where you keep a blood sucker like me alive.”
“But Taehyung----”
“No buts. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Despite the pout you were sporting, you respected his wishes and dropped the matter. But it was hard not to think about. Your mind lost focus on the TV and instead you were daydreaming about what it’d be like to be your best friend’s blood donor. What would it feel like when he sunk his fangs into your neck? Would it hurt? Would he have to numb the area first? Would it leave scars on your skin?
When morning came, you decided to take a nap since your interviews would be during the mid afternoon. As you laid there in bed watching the sun rise behind your curtains, you couldn’t help but fall asleep to the image of your super hot best friend sinking his teeth into your neck. Needless to say, you woke up a couple hours later with wet panties and feeling the need to clean yourself twice as thoroughly as you normally would.
The interviews had went smoothly and it looked promising. Although you couldn’t help but wonder if Taehyung had worked his vampire magic because the managers seemed to be awfully impressed with the two of you. After being told you both would get a call if you were chosen, you were once again playing the waiting game. You hated that game.
A couple days went by where you spent the daytime hours sleeping and spent the night hours doing things like paying bills online and getting your affairs in order. Just on the miraculous chance that the two of you get this night shift job.
“Relax, cutie pie. I told you, we got this in the bag.......Uh oh.....”
You had been tidying up around the living room when you heard his nervousness from his spot in the kitchen. Turning to face him, since the apartment was a very open floor plan, you watched him stare tensely into the refrigerator. His body was stiff as a board and you wondered what was wrong. But then it hit you too........There was no blood left in the house.
Save for yours.
“Tae----”
“Nope. Don’t say it.”
“But T----”
“No. We discussed this and it’s out of the question.”
“Kim Taehyung!”
He was shocked when you walked up to him only to punch him in the arm. Of course, he hardly felt it and you probably knew that too, but still. Your actions surprised him all the same. He stared at you with ruby eyes that held a mixture of emotions. Anxiety, sadness, frustration. This was hard for him and you weren’t helping. The temptation had been there forever and he had fought so hard to resist his natural urges as a vampire.
“Taehyung, you do so much for me. You’re my best friend. And best friends are always there for each other. Please.......Please let me do this for you. Let me be your blood donor.”
You had him right where you wanted him. The poor boy was already weakened from the lack of blood so his resolve was already crumbling. With a heavy sigh of defeat, he flicked his wrist and out of thin air, a piece of parchment paper with elegant calligraphy scrawled all over it appeared right in front of you. A couple seconds later, a quill and bottle of ink appeared as well.
You didn’t even have to read over the contract to know you wanted to sign it. So there you stood, in your modest kitchen signing a blood contract with your vampire best friend. Your life may not be that exciting, but Taehyung certainly kept things interesting for you. Something that you were completely okay with.
Life with a vampire was interesting. Still is.
It was then decided that he would go ahead and move in with you. It only made sense and he practically lived here anyway. So you two spent the next two nights and early mornings moving his stuff from his apartment and into yours. As part of the contract, he insisted on paying the rent in full himself but you convinced him to at least go half and half with you. It would be easier once you both got jobs.
“TaeTae.......what if we don’t get the call? What if they’ve already picked someone else?”
“Don’t think like that, babe. The jobs are as good as ours. I’m sure of it.”
The pet names. They had changed quite a bit since your best friend had moved in permanently. As much as it shouldn’t, babe had become your favorite and it never failed to make you blush like a schoolgirl in love. It was hard to control your heart beat as well around him. But fortunately he never commented on it.
Being Tae’s blood donor had went from something intriguing and fascinating, to something of a second nature. It was so natural for you to crane your neck so that he could easily access his favorite spot. Of course, as stated in the contract, he steered clear of major arteries and always kept the ‘transaction’ clean. At first, it hurt. Quite a bit, actually. The first couple times left your neck feeling sore and stiff the next night. But now you were used to it.
Just as your unemployment checks were starting to run out, you were starting to lose hope in the night shift jobs. Taehyung could tell too. Your mood was horrible and you looked like you could be an advertisement for antidepressants. Pouting, he walked over to you and crouched down at your feet with his hands on your knees.
“Let’s go to the restaurant and see if they’ve filled the positions. Maybe they’re just slow in processing?”
Sniffling and rubbing your red rimmed eyes, you nodded and got off the couch. If anything, this trip would at least give you closure so that you could start looking for another job. The trip of course was short since the restaurant wasn’t very far away. Getting a great spot on the street right across from it, you parked the car and headed for the entrance.
Walking in, you saw one of the managers that had interviewed you was standing at the pedestal; ready to seat any customers that would come in. You were nervous; heart pounding in your chest and palms sweaty. What if they had already filled the position? Finally standing in front of her, you offered a shy smile while Taehyung was the one who spoke up in his polite and charming tone.
“Hello there, we were just wondering if the two night shift openings had been filled yet. We haven’t gotten a phone call but we wanted to check in anyway as we’re still very interested in the positions.”
“Oh yes! Actually we were just......”
But then the manager locked eyes with your best friend and again.....something weird was going on as you looked back and forth between the two. Just like the young female employee from weeks ago, the manager appeared as if she were in some kind of trance. Smiling, she suddenly beamed and said happily,
“We were just about to call you both! What a happy coincidence!”
Happy coincidence your butt. Taehyung had done it again. Somehow, someway, he managed to get you two the jobs and it was like everything changed. The following days were full of uniform fittings and lots of human resource paperwork. You had forgotten what all went into getting a job. None the less, you were beyond happy. And that’s all Taehyung ever wanted for you. Was to see you happy.
He would do anything for you.
It was a rough start but you were a quick learner. Mostly getting used to sleeping during the daylight hours and working through the night hours. It was a full time position but thank the good lord you both got weekends off. How you managed that, you weren’t sure. It made things like doctors’ appointments interesting but you managed.
Most importantly of all, you got to spend so much more time with Taehyung. The two of you had quickly formed a little habit of him winking at you whenever he’d ring the bell telling you that an order was ready. It always made you blush and you had to try and cool yourself down before you could reach a customer’s table.
Your best friend had quickly built a name for himself as the months went by. His food was amazing and he always asked the managers if he could put his own little spin on certain dishes because he felt the customers would enjoy it better. And sure enough, the customers were rolling in. Dinner time became the busiest time of the day for the place and the managers noticed.
You weren’t doing too bad yourself. The tips really did make a difference. After your first three months working, you ran the numbers and concluded that you were actually making way more money doing this job than you were when you were still under the thumb of that stupid catering company. It blew your mind. And it was all because of Taehyung. Your best friend. He truly was amazing.
Life with a vampire was interesting. Still is.
You donated your blood and he helped make all your dreams come true. You were more than living within your means. The two of you actually went on small trips together on your days off. Watching the stars where they couldn’t be covered by city lights. You’d spend the daytime hours resting or if you were feeling restless, he’d watch movies with you till you could sleep again. It all felt so......domestic. And you honestly loved it. You thrived in it.
And then one day, while you were just collecting a table’s drink order, your best friend blew everyone out of the water. Including you. You watched him suddenly walk up to you and your face flushed red since he had never done this before. He was to always stay in the back where the kitchen was. But now he stood there in front of you with everyone able to watch.
“Everyone---- I’m sorry. But if I could just have your attention for a moment, please.”
Dear god your face was so hot that you felt like you were going to pass out. What the hell did he think he was doing??? Trying not to scold him right then and there, you watched with a tomato red face as he smiled at you and started to speak.
“I was supposed to wait till our shift was over, but my 15 minute break is coming up and I can’t wait any longer......”
Your heart was pounding in your chest and you could see out of the corner of your eye that your managers were watching too. Dear god. This was it. They were going to fire you both for making such a scene. But your vampire’s voice brought you back to the moment at hand.
“Everyone......this lovely young lady right here is amazing. She’s worked hard to get here. And I think I can speak for everyone when I say she’s great at what she does. Am I right?”
You were shocked to see the collective nods of heads in agreement and some even spoke up with yeah’s and yes’s. It certainly didn’t help your blush any and you ended up shamelessly fanning your face to try and not pass out. Chuckling, he continued as he smiled down warmly at you.
“Today is her birthday and so of course I made her a little something. It’s not much but I am an expert with desserts.”
You along with the rest of the restaurant laughed softly. Taehyung was right, today was your birthday and you had spent it sleeping and getting all the rest you could. But you didn’t care to work on your birthday because it was just another day in your book. Nothing special. But it would seem your best friend was bound and determined to make it special.
“But before I give you your dessert.....which is of course what I’m holding behind my back......I just......want to say a little something.....”
You felt your throat closing up as you wondered what it could possibly be that he had to say to you. Trying to swallow, you watched him nervously bite his bottom lip but was careful not to show his fangs.
“Cutie......Babe........We’ve been by each other’s side for quite a few years now. We live together and life is great with you. Being your best friend is one of the greatest gifts. But.....I’m greedy. I want more. I thought before all I wanted was your happiness. But I quickly realized I want more.”
Dear god what was happening???? Your heart was surly going to explode if he didn’t shut up.
“I want your happiness, but I want to share that happiness.......as your boyfriend. So would you......do me the amazing honor.......of being my girlfriend?”
There was a soft collection of gasps including yours as you stood there nearly dropping everything in your hands; your managers long forgotten about as you stared up at him. Your best friend. He felt......He felt that way about you? It wasn’t your imagination??? You stood there with your mouth agape before one of the customers who you were currently waiting on had gently nudged you and it helped snap you out of your stunned state.
“I----Well I mean of course. I----- We’ve practically been together our whole lives. We might as well be some domestic married couple, honestly.”
And without missing a beat, Taehyung sported his signature boxy smile while strategically hiding his fangs before finally showing you the slice of cake he had prepared just for you.
“Great. Because I was really hoping you’d be my wife too.”
And there it sat perched on top of a pile of whipped cream. A beautiful engagement ring that sparkled under the light of the restaurant. Your eyes turned into dinner plates as you stood there feeling lightheaded. This was really happening. You were staring at a piece of cake with a freaking rock for decoration.
“Well.......what do you say? Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes, she’ll marry you!”
You both along with everyone else in the restaurant looked over to see the two managers. It was then that you made the connection. The managers were husband and wife as well. They weren’t going to throw you out. In fact, they were part of the plan all along. They knew what Taehyung had planned for tonight. Your jobs were never in any danger. Of course you wouldn’t learn this till after your shift was over later that next morning.
Speaking of.......
The sun was starting to rise but you could care less as you laid there in your bed. The room darkening curtains were long pulled in for the morning to help block the annoying light. You laid there smiling like an idiot as you stared at your newly husband-to-be. Of course he was sporting one of the most smug smiles you had ever seen him wear.
“You’re a pabo. You could have waited till we didn’t have such a large audience. I was so embarrassed from all the crying I did. Everyone kept asking me questions and I was supposed to be waiting on other tables.”
All he did was laugh softly as you tried to act all grumpy with him. But your vampire knew better. You could never be grumpy with him for long. Grinning, he reeled you in and held you in his strong arms. This was the best. This was your dream. Living the simple life while being perfectly content. You just had no idea that it would require a vampire.
Life with a vampire was interesting. Still is.